MINNEAPOLIS, MN - The SMTA announced that the Harsh Environments Symposium will once again run for a day and a half from Monday, September 29 until Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at SMTA International in Rosemont, Illinois.The Harsh Environments Symposium addresses the concerns related to harsh environment electronics and the challenges within the electronics community. It is intended to bring together the needs of "end-users" with the capabilities of the research community and the industrial supply base. Specifically, the Symposium addresses the challenges of meeting expanding temperature ranges (-55C to +200C) with increased vibration, higher package density and longer reliability. Next generation requirements are explored from the system level and potential supply-based solutions are presented.

Session topics include Harsh Environment Challenges with Lead-Free Solder, Thermal Solutions for Power Electronics, Reliability of Pb-Free Electronics in Harsh Environments, Protecting Your Electronics Under Harsh Environment Conditions, and Reliability and Qualification Considerations for Today's High Performance Electronic Assemblies.Papers will be presented by speakers from Auburn University, Binghamton University, Indium Corporation, Intel, National Physical Laboratory, Northrop Grumman, Rockwell Collins, Siemens AG, University of Toronto, and University of Rostock among others.

“For many engineers, this will be their first chance to find out about next generation materials, processes, reliability and all the equipment that makes it possible," explained Bob Willis, SMTA Feature Organizer.